


Breaking Monotony

by BestHandwriting



Category: Sword Art Online
Genre: Gen, Kirito and Alice are mentioned but really not all that important, Minor Spoilers for Alicization Arc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-06-14 16:56:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15393261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BestHandwriting/pseuds/BestHandwriting
Summary: Eugeo will be forgotten, another name on the list of woodcutters. Maybe if he’s lucky, he’ll live on as a brief mention in another story. But that’s all he’ll ever be. There’s nowhere for him to go. No way for him to change. Nothing left to hope for.A Eugeo character study centered on the years without Kirito in his life.





	Breaking Monotony

The methodical swinging of an axe day in and day out leaves plenty of time for Eugeo to think. Every so often, mundane thoughts help past the time. But for the most part, Eugeo dwells on fantasies. He dreams of swords, of learning to fight to protect others. He fancies himself a knight in shining armor, saving the princess from her long, unjust imprisonment. Sometimes, if he’s particularly hopeful, he imagines he could even be a hero.

But no matter where his mind takes him, Eugeo never tries to put a name with the story, or imagine the face that the princess wears. That would make the fantasies too tangible, too easy to long for. Deep in his heart, he knows such delusions can never become reality. He’s the woodcutter, fulfilling his sacred task day in and day out until the day he can no longer lift the dragon-bone axe and swing. And when that day comes, he will have barely left a mark.

He’ll be forgotten, another name on the list of woodcutters. Maybe if he’s lucky, he’ll live on as a brief mention in another story. But that’s all he’ll ever be. There’s nowhere for him to go. No way for him to change. Nothing left to hope for.

It’s that sentiment that drives him back to the cave one rest day, no real intention in mind other than the simple desire to remember the details of the last adventure of his life.

Eugeo packs a lunch and takes a jacket with him- he’s never been the type to leap right into things without careful planning. That was always _his_ job…

_His_?

There’s no way that can be right. He probably meant Alice… but that explanation rings hollow with any sort of deep thinking. She always planned meticulously for their expeditions, even more than he did. No matter the situation that arose, she would have a solution ready. Yet no matter how much he tries to tell himself otherwise, Eugeo wouldn’t be thinking of himself either.

Eugeo shakes his head to clear his mind. He must be so focused on his task these days that his memory’s rusty.

But at the same time, he can’t completely shake the feeling that there’s something crucial he’s missing. All day, there are little blips of memory that just don’t add up to reality. A few phrases here or there that he attributes to that non-existent _he_ , and an odd sense of a trio exploring the cave to the point he can almost imagine three tiny pairs of feet cracking the ice as he steps inside the mouth of the cave.

It’s not the first time he’s had these sorts of thoughts, but they’ve never been so clear or frequent as they are now.

The cave is just how he remembers it, frigid but enticing. He’s not much of an adventurer anymore, but even he can understand the draw it had to great historical figures like Bercouli. In comparison to the world he’s known, it’s completely surreal.

And right there, in the midst of the ice, lies the Blue Rose Sword. It glitters in the faint light of the cavern, a beautiful relic amongst the piles of bones. Possessed by uncharacteristic desire, he reaches towards it, then hesitates, his hand lingering a breath away from the hilt.

Is he even worthy to touch such a magnificent weapon? What right does a mere woodcutter like him have to hold a sword of legends? Somewhere in the back of his mind, he forms flimsy justifications of heroism yet to come. But when he grabs the sword, it is curiosity alone that drives him.

The intricate hilt holds far more warmth than it has any right to.

But the moment he tries to lift the sword up, he barely manages to get it up off the ground before its weight is too much to for him to handle. The sword clatters to the ground, cracking the ice beneath it. With a sigh, Eugeo rubs his strained muscles.

If he can barely lift the sword up, how can he possibly be worthy to take it with him?

His mind catches up a moment later. Take it with him? He’s just a woodcutter- it would be wasted in his hands! But he can’t justify leaving it either. Such a glorious sword belongs where it stands a chance at being used, not left to nothingness in a faraway cave.

Bringing the sword back home isn’t much of a goal, but it’s the first reasonable desire he’s had in a long time. He can see it now, the blue rose sword propped up in the shed awaiting its knight in shining armor to carry it to the battlefield. It would only take some rest days and a whole lot of dragging. Maybe by the time he’d get it back, he’d be strong enough to lift it.

How surreal would that be? Holding a sword of legends, swinging it around like a real knight… that would bring so many fantasies of his to life.

But before he can believe too much in those thoughts, he casts them away. There’s no use dreaming of realities that can’t exist. The rest of his life will be spent chopping away at a tree that he’ll never see cut down no matter how hard he tries.

It’s probably for the best. Eugeo’s always been too weak for adventures. After all, he couldn’t save…

He won’t think of that anymore.

Instead, he wakes up each morning in time to buy day old rolls, not thinking of anything but the task that awaits him. He swings the dragon bone axe at the Gigas Cedar, each strike resounding with a clear thwack in the silent clearing. 100 strikes followed by a short break to drinking water. 100 more. 100 more and then lunch. Another 300 in the afternoon, and maybe a few more if the light still filters in strong through the leaves.

Then he heads home for a miserable dinner with the family and prepares for another day of work.

Somehow, years pass like this. The number of people who talk to him dwindles by the year until the only people who acknowledge him are the baker and his family. Even they only acknowledge him out of need. It’s like everyone has forgotten that their sacred woodchopper is human too.

But what’s more amazing is that over time, he’s come to accept his fate. He chops away his life except on rest days, when he progressively drags the Blue Rose Sword back home. And once it’s finally in the shed, he spends less and less time on rest days looking at it and more time helping his family on the farm.

By the time he turns sixteen, Eugeo’s convinced his life will never amount to anything but boring monotony.

As he works, he barely finds the will to pray one last time to Stacia, “Please give me the chance to live.”

He doesn’t expect an answer.

But finally, she gives her response.

A boy interrupts his work that day. He’s tall, dark, and handsome, the classic hero type. But what catches Eugeo’s attention the most is his liveliness. As Eugeo watches, the boy – Kirito, Eugeo learns –speaks with an enthusiasm Eugeo hasn’t felt in a long time. There’s something so familiar about it, Eugeo’s heart aches for a time he can’t recall.

He manages a smile for the first time in years as he responds, “My name is Eugeo. Nice to meet you, Kirito.”

And when Kirito takes his hand, life sparks once again in Eugeo.

This could be his chance. With Kirito, Eugeo believes he could do anything. He tells Kirito stories he’s never spoken since _that day_ , and he even shows him the Blue Rose Sword he labored so hard to bring home. Kirito listens without judgement and, despite having no reason to do so, takes on part of the burden of Eugeo’s sacred task.

They settle in so perfectly with each other, Eugeo can hardly believe he’s only known Kirito for a few days. How could anyone so new be so familiar?

But Eugeo tries not to dwell on it too much, instead focusing on the reality of the situation. Even though Kirito seems like a catalyst for change, he’s more likely to be stuck with Eugeo cutting away at the Gigas Cedar for the rest of his life than rewriting Eugeo’s fate.

It’s not until the Gigas Cedar crashes down that the hope Kirito instilled in Eugeo finally seems real. Eugeo’s burdens fall away, reigniting a fire Eugeo hasn’t felt in a long time.

Maybe he’ll learn to fight to protect others. Maybe he’ll be a knight in shining armor, saving the princess from her long, unjust imprisonment. Maybe, just maybe, he could even be a hero.

So when the chance to select a new sacred task arrives, Eugeo knows what he will choose. With his sword at his side and Kirito on the other side, there’s really only one choice he can make.

He’ll go and make his fantasies a reality, no matter how long it takes or how hard the journey.

_Wait for me, Alice. At last, I’m going to save you._

 

**Author's Note:**

> I can't believe the Alicization arc will finally be animated this fall! I've only been waiting 3 and a half years for it.
> 
> In honor of its upcoming release, I finally got around to finishing this old Eugeo fic. I can't wait to finally see Eugeo in all his animated glory! So consider this a little something to help tide you over until that day comes. Heaven knows I need it.
> 
> In all seriousness, part of the reason I wanted to finish this was as a thank you to everyone for supporting my other Eugeo fanfic, Yearning. It recently reached 1000 hits, which is a first for me. Thank you all so much for your support and for continuing to read my works!


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